Belt-shifter.



E. F. PARKS. BELT SHIFTER.. APPLICATION FILED DEC.2, I915.

Patented Mar. 6, 1917.

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E. F. PARKS.

BELT SHIFTER'. APPLICATION FILED 050.2. 1915.

Patented Mar. 6, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 EnwAnn r. ranks, on reovrp'eivcn, anions i'srlzt'iirb, agate-mass; As'sien; ,MENTS, TO UNIVERSAL WINDING COMPANY, or ieos'ro'N, MA'ssAoH'trsET'Ts, A coitroRATI'oN or MASSACHUSETTS.

. iaEL'r-sHIFTER.

Patented Mar. 6, 19 17.

Aplieafib'n tied Decanter 2, 1915. Sean No. 64,755.

To all 'ab/tdm'it may camera.- 7 v I Be it known that I, EDWARD F. PARKS,- a citizen of the United States, residing at Providence, in the county of Providence, State of Rhode Island, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Belt- Shifter s, of which the following is a specification. I I

My invention relates to improvements in belt-shifters for shifting maChine beltS from one pulley to another and back again. My improved shifter is intended for use particularly with counter'shafts or other like apparatus employing tight and loose pulleys, from one to the other of which the belt' is shifted to alternately startor stop the operation of the machine with which it is connected.

y larly to belt-shifters of the pull type in which a pull on a cord or chain serves to shift the belt in one direction and the next pull acts to shift it back in the opposite direction. The object of my improvement is to provide a belt-shifter of this type of simpler construction than those now in use; with the mechanism comprising fewer operating parts and having less complicated movements; and with the elements. stronger, more closely connected and less likely to get out of order or to deteriorate from wear during constant use. a I p The manner and means for carryingout these improvements are fully described in the following specification, illustrated by the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate like parts. In the drawings Figure l is an elevation of a usual type of countershaftshowing my improved beltshifter applied thereto and illustrating the casing for the mechanism withthe cover removed to disclose the operating parts inclosed therein;

Fig. 2, an enlarged view in elevation of the operating-mechanism of the beltshi fter; Fig. 3, an enlarged sectional viewof the same taken on the-line XfX of Fig. 2, look ing in the direction indicated by the arrow as;

Fig. 4, a similar sectional view taken on the line YY of Fig. 2, looking in the direction indicated by the arrow Fig. 5, a View in elevation showing a inodi improvements are directed particuficat'ion iii the form of the shifting-mechanis'm'5and H I v Fig. 6, a sectional view of the same taken on the 1ine,ZZ Fig. 5, looking in the direction indicated by the arow z. k

Referring first to,Fig. 1, B designates a bracket or hanger of usual form provided with bearings b, b for the horizontalcounte'rshaft C. At one end of the hanger B is the driving-pulley D fixedly secured. to the shaft C, while at theopposite end are the tight and .loo'se? pulleys E and F, respecti vely. The, tight pulley E is secured fast On the shaft C with its hub abutting the end ofthe beai'iiig b while the pulley D has its hub abutting the end oftheopposite hearing b to hold the shaft froinlongitudinal displacement. The loose pulley Fis free to rotate on the shaft C and is held in place with its hub abutting the end of the hub of the pulley E by means of a collar a secured to the end of the shaft. The countershaftis normally at rest while the belt G, shown in section in Fig. 1, rotates the loose pu-lley through itsconnection with any suitable source of-power. The machine-belt, not here shown, passes over. the pulley D and connects the counter-shaft with the machine to driyen therefrom, By shifting the belt G onto the. tightpulley E the countershaft C =is caused to be rotated to transmit power to the connected machine, and to arrest. the operation of the machine the belt is shiftedba'cl'i-ontothe loose pulley F which will again be rotated free while the shaft C remains at rest. For shifting the belt G from one pulley to the other I employ the conventional shipper-fork H mounted on a sliding rod .1 and arranged with its arms straddling the sides of the belt. The shipperrod I is mounted to slide in suitable bearinglugs j, whichproject forwardly from the rim of a circular casing J secured to or constructed as apart of the hanger B. As shown Figs. 3 and 4 the casing is made as a separate, element and is fastened to a hub or boss 72 projecting from the main horizoiital portion 6 of the hanger. B by 6 A nut k at the end of the bolt serves to date the parts t'igethr to hold them' securely in place. To prevent the casing J from turning on the bolt K two lugs j, j project from its side and overlap the oppositely formed lugs Z), 6 on the hanger portion 19 as shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 3. The means for sliding the shipper-rod I longitudinally in its bearings to cause it to shift the belt Gr back and forth from one pulley E to the other F, and vice versa, are inclosed within the casing J and arranged as next described.

Mounted on the outer end of the stud K is a disk L having its hub Z bored to adapt it to turn freely on the enlarged portion of the stud. Projecting from the outer face of the disk L is a crank-pin Z engaging a vertical slot m in a crosshead M mounted on the shipper-rod I and secured thereto by means of the set-screw m. By turning the disk L through a half revolution at a time the pin Z will be caused to act in the well known manner of a crank-motion to slide the rod 1 first in one direction and then in the other.

Mounted free to turn on the stud K at the rear of the disk L is the main actuatingmembcr N adapted to be moved by a pullcord 0. The member N as here shown takes the form of a wheel-segment having a hub n with three spokes n radiating therefrom to support the semi-circumferential rim n see Fig. 2. On the periphery of the rim of are a. series of upstanding lugs a spaced apart in staggered relation to serve as a guidingmeans to keep the operating cord 0 in place on the member N. The cord or rope O is secured to the member N by knotting its end 0 through a hole a and thence it is passed around the rim a and out through an open ing 7' in the side of the casing J. A sufficient length of the cord 0 depends from the casing J to bringit within convenient reach of the operators hand and at its end a handle P is usually provided. If required the cord 0 may be carried to a greater distance through a series of pulleys, thus providing for operating the countershaft from a more remote station.

The outer end of the hub n of the cordwheel N is countersunk at n to inclose the end of the hub Z of the disk L, as shown in Fig. 3, and is provided with two beveled lugs or ratchet-teeth a n projecting forwardly therefrom. Projecting rearwardly from the disk L are two oppositely beveled teeth Z l located in position to be engaged by the teeth a, n to adapt the member N to turn the disk in the direction indicated by the arrow 2, Fig. 2. The teeth W, n are beveled rearwardly with respect to the forward direction of motion of the member N when pulled by the cord 0, and as before indicated the teeth Z Z on the disk L are beveled off in the opposite direction. This provides that when the member N is turned back after once advancing the disk L through a half rotation in the direction indi cated by the arrow 2, Fig. 2, the teeth will ride over one another to bring the member N into position to again rotate the disk L at the next pull on the cord. It will be noted that there is a clearance between the end of the hub n of the member N and the back of the casing J to allow said member to slide slightly along its bearing stud K. This allows the member N to recede from the disk L as it returns to its initial position to permit the teeth on the two members to pass by each other.

The member N is normally pressed into engagement with the disk L by means of a spring S coiled around its hub and bearing against the rear wall of the casing J. One end 8 of the spring S extends through a slot in a lug y' projecting from the side of the casing J while the opposite end 8 is similarly fastened in a slotted lug n on the member N, see Figs. 3 and The spring S is arranged to serve two purposes: first, to press the member N outwardly to carry its teeth into engagement with the teeth on the disk L; and secondly, to turn the member N on the stud K in the direction opposite to that indicated by the arrow 2, Fig. 2. [is shown in Fig. 2, the lug 7' is formed as a sector extending partly around the hub of the member N with its ends located in position to be engaged by the lug n on said member at each extreme of movement of the latter. In this way the lug j acts as a stop to limit the movement of the member N to approximately one half a rotation in each direction. v

Referring particularly to Figs. 2 and 4:, a portion of the front face of the disk L is recessed or cut away at Z to form a beveled shoulder Z with which the beveled sides m m of the crosshead M are adapted to engage as shown most clearly in Fig. 4. The purpose of this arrangement is to provide that after the disk L has been turned through each half revolution and its beveled shoulder Z' has been brought into vertical position it will be carried into engagement with one side or the other of the crosshead M to lock the shipper-rod in place against accidental move- 11.3

ment. It is to be understood that the disk L besides turning on the stud K is also free to slide longitudinally thereof. This provides that when" the disk L first commences to turn the beveled shoulder P'will cause it to slide back on the stud K to allow the crosshead M to ride across its face. After the crosshead M has been carried to its opposite extreme of traverse by the crank-pin Z the shoulder Z is brought into alinement with the other side of the crosshead and the disk is then carried forward again by the action of the spring S pressing against the wheel-segment N as more fully explained hereinafter. In this way the crosshead is locked in position at each end of its throw to prevent the vibration of the belt from forcing the belt-fork out of place. It is also to be noted that the crosshead M bears constantly against the front face of the disk L to maintain it in position on the stud K against the action of the spring :8.

Referring to Fig. 3, on the front of the casing J is a circular cover J secured there to by bolts j, j extending through slots in the lugs j see Fig. 2, place by the nuts j, j. The front of the cover J is rounded out in convex form to allow a clearance for the crosshead M and provided with suitable openings "at the sides fitting around the bearing-lugs j. The walls of the casing J and the cover J thus completely inclose the mechanism to protect the operating parts and keep out dirt and dust.

The method of operation of the mechanism described above is as follows: With the belt G on the loose pulley F, as shown in Fig. 1, the latter will rotate freely without transmitting power to the connected machine. VVhen, however, it is desired to start the operation of the machine the operator pulls down on the cord 0 to turn the wheelsegment N in the direction indicated by the arrow 2, Fig. 2. As the member N turns forward its teeth at, w come into engagement with the teeth Z Z on the rear face of the disk L and the latter is thereby caused to be rotated in the same direction. As the disk L turns forward in this direction its crank-pinl'slides in the slot m of the crosshead M and .moves the latter to the right to shift the rod I in its bearings j, As the disk L starts to rotate its beveled shoulder Z will ride up over the beveled edge m of the crosshead M and will therefore cause the disk and the member N to slide back on the stud K against the action of the spring S. The crosshead M will then slide across the front, plane face of the disk L without ob struction. through the shipper-fork H to shift the belt G over onto the tight pulley E so that the rotation of the latter will be transmitted to the connected machine. The pull on the cord 0 is continued until the wheelsegment N is turned through slightly more than a -half rotation and at this point its lug n brings up against the end of the stop 7' on the casing J. The disk L will then have been turned through exactly one-hundredand-eighty degrees or a half rotation and its shoulder Z will have been brought into vertical position on the opposite side of the axis of the disk. At this point the crosshead M will have been shifted across the axis of the disk to bring it into position with its left-hand side in alinement with the shoulder Z. With the parts in this position the disk L and member N will be slid forward slightly on the stud K by the action and drawn up into' The movement of the rod I acts of the spring S to bring the shoulder Z into engagement with the side of the crosshead M. In this way the engagement between the crosshead M and disk L serves as a double lock to prevent the crosshead from sliding or the disk from turning so that no unwarranted movement of the shipper-rod I and belt-fork H can occur. The belt G is thus prevented from Working back from one pulley onto the other after it has once been shifted into position as required.

After the disk L has once been turned through a half rotation in the direction indicated by the arrow 2, Fig. 2, and the crosshead M has been shifted to a new engagement with the shoulder Z on the disk the latter remains locked While the member N returnsto its initial position. That is to say, the crosshead M holds the disk L from return movement while the member N is being turned back by the action of its spring S after the cord 0 has been released. As

the spring S turns the member N back to its initial position, its beveled teeth a, a ride up over the bevels of the teeth Z Z on the disk L while the member N slides back on the stud K- Now, as the member N comes to rest with its lug n bearing against the opposite end of the stop 7' on the casing J, as shown in Fig. 2, its teeth a, n will again be in position behind the teeth Z21 on the disk L. At the next pull on the cord 0 the member N will therefore turn the disk L forward again through another half rotation and this time the crank-pin Z will carry the shipper-rod I back in the opposite direction to return the belt to the loose pulley F. As the parts come into place again as illustrated in Fig. 2 the crosshead M and disk L will be locked together once more to provide against accidental displacement of the belt. In this way the oscillating movement of the cord-wheel N is caused to transmit a continuously-forward, step-by-step rotation to the crank-disk L, which, in turn, imparts a back-and-forth motion to the shipper-rod I as required.

Figs. 5 and 6 of the drawings illustrate a modification of the invention in which a stationary lock or detent is provided for the crank-disk L. The essential elements of this embodiment of the invention are of substantially the same construction as the mechanism first described except that the disk L is not formed fora locking engagement with the crosshead M at the extremes of traverse of the latter. aAs shown in Fig. .6 the disk L is recessed at its outer end to provide a space for a locking-member R which is driven onto the end of the stud K or otherwise suitably secured thereto. The member R is provided with two beveled detentlugs r, 1' projecting rearwardly' from its inner face, arranged diametrically opposite similarly-formed slots Z, Z in the face of the disk L. As shown in Fig. 6, one side of each lug r is beveled at 1" to cause the disk L to slide back on the stud K to release the detents when the member N rotates the disk in the direction indicated by the arrow 2, Fig. 5. On the other hand, the engagement of the square sides r of the lugs r with the square edges Z of the slots Z prevents the disk L from turning back in the opposite direction under the influence of the return motion of the member N. It will be understood that the pressure of the spring S against the member N causes the detents on the disk L and, look It to be held together under suificient tension to resist any tendency of the belt Gr to force the erosshead M to displace the disk L after the shipper rod has been shifted into either position. In Fig. 5 the crosshead M is shown in position at the left by dash lines and at the right by full lines, and the method of operation of the mechanism in shifting it back and forth is the same as that previously explained.

It will be observed that my present improvement provides a particularly simple and efficient belt-shifting device of small compass and few parts. The operating elements are compacted within a minimum space and closely related to reinforce one another and provide for the simplest motions. Certain of the parts serve several purposes, as, for instance, the stud K which not only acts to secure the casing J to the hanger B, but also provides a pivot for the rotating elements of the mechanism. lln'the en'ibodiment first described the crank-disk L and crosshead M are arranged for mutual cooperation to lock the disk from turning and to hold the shipper-rod I from sliding. The crossh ead lid also serves to hold the disk L in place on the stud K' and in this way the number of parts required is reduced to the minimum. As before stated my improved device takes up very little space and is inclosed in a neat casing of sightly appearance which protects the parts from dirt and dust. Furthermore, the elements are designed for most economical manufacture and the simplification of the mechanism makes for great durability and less liability of getting out of order.

Various modifications might be made in the structure and arrangement of the parts of the device without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention; therefore,

without limiting myself to the exact embodiment shown what I claim is 1. In a belt-shifter, the combination with a slidable shipper-rod, of a rotatable member connected to slide the rod in alternately opposite directions, a second member rotatable on the same axis and adapted to engage directly with the first member to impart rotation thereto, and means to move one member axially in relation to the other member to carry them into engagement.

2. in a belt-shifter, the combination with a slidable shipper-rod, of a rotatable member connected to slide the rod in alternately opposite directions, a second member rotatable on the same axis and slidable longitudinally thereof to engage directly with the second member to impart rotation thereto, and means to maintain said members in engagement while the shipper-rod is moved from one extreme of traverse to the other.

8. In a bel -shifter, the combination with the belt-shipper means, of a rotatable mem ber connected to move said shipper-means in alternately opposite directions, a second rotatable member adapted to engage directly with the first member to impart rotation thereto in one direction only, and resilientmeans for pressing said members together longitudinally of their common axis to cause the first member to be rotated to move the shipper-means.

4-. In a belt-shifter, the combination with belt shipper means, of a rotatable member connected to shift said shipper-means in alternately opposite directions and provided with ratchet-teeth, a second rotatable member also having ratchet-teeth adapted to engage directly with the teeth on the first member to rotate the latter in one direction only, and a spring for forcing one member axially toward the other member to maintain their teeth in engagement.

5. In a belt-shifting device, the combination with shipper-means for engaging the belt, of a rotatable member for imparting longitudinal movement to said shippermeans in alternately opposite directions, a second rotatable member arranged adjacent the first member and adapted to be engaged directly therewith to transmit rotary movement thereto, and a spring operating to carry the two members into engagement and to return the second member to its initial position after the first member has been retated thereby to shift the shipper-means.

6. In a belt-shifter, the combination with a slidable member for shifting the belt, of a rotatable member for imparting longitudinal movement to the sliding member in alternately opposite directions, a second ro tatable member adapted to be engaged clirectly with the first rotatable member to turn the latter through a part of a complete rotation, and means to move one of said rotatable members on its axis to carry it into engagement with the other member while allowing said member to be released after the sliding member has been shifted from one extreme of its traverse to the other.

7. In a belt-shifter, the combination with a slidable shipper-rod, of a rotatable member connected to shift said rod in alternately opposite directions, second rotatable mem ber connected to shift the rod in alternately opposite directions, a second member adapted to be manually rotated to turn the first member, a spring for returning the second member to its initial position after it has rotated the first member, and means for yieldingly engaging the first member with the shipper-rod to prevent backward rotation of said member when the manually-operated member is turnedback to its first position.

9. In -a belt-shifter, the combination with the belt-shipping means, of a rotatable member connected to move the shipping-means in alternately opposite directions, a second rotatable member engageable directly with the first member to turn the latter through a part of a rotation in one direction only, resilient-means for returning said second member to its initial position after it has moved the first member, and means to engage the shipping-means with the first member to restrain the latter from movement while the second member is turnedbackward.

10. In a belt-shifter, the combination with the belt-shipping means, of a rotatable crank-disk connected to move the shippingmeans in alternately opposite directions and provided with ratchet teeth, a second member rotatable on the same axis and having ratchet-teeth adapted to engage directly with the teeth on the first member, means to normally press said members together to cause the second member to turn the first member through a part of a complete revolution, and detent-means for restraining said first member from backward rotation while the second member is returned to its initial position.

11. In a belt-shifter, the combination with a shipper-rod, of a crank-disk connected to move the shipper-rod in alternately opposite directions, a manually-operable member for turning the crank-disk with a step-bystep rotation in one direction only, and means on the shipper-rod for engaging the crank-disk to restrain the latter from unwarranted movementand to lock the shipper-rod in position after the latter has been shifted to its extreme of traverse in either direction.

12. In a belt-shifter, the combination with a shipper-rod, of a crosshead mounted thereon, a crank-disk carrying a pin engaging the crosshead to move the shipper-rod in alternately opposite directions and formed with a detent-shoulder for engaging the cross-- head to restrain movement of the shipperrod after it has been shifted thereby, resiliently-operating means for maintaining the disk and crosshead in engagement, and manually-operated means for turning the disk through a part of a complete rotation at a time.

13. In a belt-shifter, the combination with the shipper=rod, of a crosshead on said rod, a disk having a crank-pin engaging the crosshead to shift the rod in alternately opposite directions and formed with a shoulder on its face adapted to engage the opposite sides of-the crosshead when the latter reaches its extremes of traverse across the pressing the disk into engagement with the crosshead, and manually-operable means for rotating the disk with a step-by-step movement in one direction only. 7

14. In a belt-shifter, the combination with the shipper-rod, of a slotted crosshead mounted on said rod, a disk carrying a crank-pin engaging the slot in the crosshead and formed with a shoulder adapted to engage the sides of the crosshead, a manually-operable member adapted to engage the disk to rotate the latter with a step-bystep motion,and a spring for forcing said member into engagement with the disk and for pressing the disk against the crosshead in the manner and for the purpose substantially as described. 1

15. In a belt-shifter, the combination with a slidable shipper-rod, of a crosshead mounted on said rod, a crank-disk arranged with its face bearing against the crosshead and formed with a shoulder adapted to engage the sides thereof, a pin on the disk engaging the crosshead to slide the shipper-rod, a cord-operated member rotatable on the axis EDWARD F. PARKS.

Witnesses:

HERBERT K. ALLARD, Gno. A. WHITE, Jr.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. G.

of the crank-disk and adapted to engage 

